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March 2014

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NCWEB celebrates annual day

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th March 2014. Mrs. Leela Nandan (IAS), resident commissioner of U.P. was the chief guest for the event and Prof. J.M. Khurana served as the guest of honour. In her keynote address, Mrs. Nandan discussed the importance of institutions such as NCWEB while Prof. Khurana highlighted the academic benchmarks achieved by NCWEB. 10149355_817627291598036_1093474953_nDuring the course of the event, NCWEB also acknowledged the academic excellence of students who brought laurels to the institution. The event also included a music and dance performance followed by a street play by the students. Other standout performances included a Bharatanatyam dance by a girl who survived polio during her childhood and Poetry recital by another student who was differently abled. Both the performances got a huge cheer from the crowd. Sincere efforts by Dr. Anju Gupta, Director, NCWEB and other staff members contributed in the success of the event.]]>

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Campus Central

DU alumnus takes up theatre for the visually impaired

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Samarth, which means capability. Samarth is an organisation based in Delhi University which practices theatre with blind students from various colleges. Samarth has over 35 students from Miranda House, Sri Venkateswara College, Hindu College, Daulat Ram College and Gargi College. The organisation, that works with seven volunteers in total believes that the future of these children in education should also be secured. Along with constant support in education to all of them, the are taught the basic theatre fundas related to lights, stage and acting. Founded in January 2014, the root of this cause was laid two years ago by Mr. Sandeep Rawat who later went on to create Samarth. Mr. Rawat who is a graduate from Dyal Singh College worked with these students during his college days. Mr. Sandeep said that, “Yeh bacche apni education mein hi fasse rehte hain. Inhe university se koi support nahi hai. Yeh sab extra activities karna chahte hain, par yeh bhi majboor hai.” The founder also feels that there is little that has been done for these students in the university. According to him and the parents of these students, the administration here provides fee concessions for their education, but later they are not supported in any way possible. Students are not provided with any special study material and they also complain of getting no support from the teachers. Samarth brings out the ‘capability’ of those who can act without knowing the spotlight, without watching their co-stars and without even knowing where their viewers are. The organization tries that the message of equality reaches out to larger audience which would force them think and question norms of the society. It tries to prove that these kids are equally capable as others. For this Indu, a Political Science student of Miranda house who practices with Samarth said, “Samarth means ability. Yeh ek boht bada platform hai jispe hum, main aur mere friends apne confidence aur talent ko dikha sakte hain, ki hum kisi se kum nahi hai. Hum sab vo kar sakte hain jo aur log bhi kar sakte hain.” Deepika, who handles the cultural activities at Samarth informed that the organisation does not aim to restrict the students only to theatre but the group also plans to provide training in other fields like music. Samarth believes that these students should not be subject of pity to others, but they shall be awarded equal rights. The team has performed its first production Udaan at 4 colleges and has recently bagged the first prize at IIT Roorkee. But, Samarth raises an important question to the university theatre circuit. They want to compete with all the normal college theatre societies in the upcoming year for various competitions.

During the conversation it was found that the organisation struggles in terms of financial matters. The funding is presently being done by the volunteers itself. The group through this feature appeals to everyone in the University to kindly help them financially for betterment of these students. Readers are also requested to please introduce other blind students in need to Samarth. Apart from this if anyone wants to volunteer or donate for Samarth can get in touch with its volunteers.
Contact Person : Mr. Sandeep Rawat
 Phone Number : +91 9891507039
 For more details visit : https://www.facebook.com/samarthhaihum
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Bazinga

Bazinga: Students to rate teachers, least rated teachers to be dismissed

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Disclaimer: Bazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news!

Among the host of changes the University administration is implementing for the year 2013-2014 is a Teacher Review System (TRS), which requires students to compulsorily rate their teachers on an annual basis from 1 to 10. The least rated teacher in every college will be dismissed from their job. The guidelines issued by the office of the Vice-Chancellor direct all colleges to conduct this review right after the year-end exams.

Students across the DU campuses are excited about this initiative of the University, for a change. “It will make college like Bigg Boss’ house! I hope my college can add the provision of someone with a baritone announcing the eviction of the least rated teacher on the PA system,” says an enthusiastic first-year student. Another says, “It will be easy to trade good ratings with attendance. Long live the VC!”

We also came across scores of students who were upset they’ll have to attend college now to know their teachers’ names and faces since the review is compulsory.

There is unrest among teachers following this ruling. “It is merely a bargain the University is trying to strike with the students for the autocratic imposition of FYUP, but why are we being the bali-ka-bakra?” cries a teacher.

Meanwhile, dramatics societies of colleges have started adopting this issue for their upcoming plays. A writer from a well-known college’s dramatics society tells us, “Plays on patriarchy depicting why and how it needs to be eradicated are becoming stale, but this issue acts like a perfect replacement. It’s essentially the same thing but it’s more relevant in today’s times.”

 Disclaimer: Bazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news!

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QWERTY

How to create Android apps (for free) without prior coding knowledge

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As mobile applications are becoming more and more popular, tons of apps are flooding the market everyday. These apps are not only developed by billion dollar companies, but also by individuals like us. You no longer need heavy investment of money and time, neither do you need any programming skills to develop an Android app. All you require is an internet connection & some advice!

But remember, this article is NOT gonna teach you how to make the next Instagram, Flipboard or Candy Crush! Nope.  But it can help you create and distribute simple apps based on existing web content –  An app for you college’s  fest, your video channel, a website,  basic mobile games and much more without spending a buck and learning any coding language.  Ever wanted to have your own Android app? We’ll show you how!

Quite a few websites allow you to create your own applications. One the most popular & efficient one, is AppsGeyser. It is incredibly easy to use and has generated more than  5,00,000 applications! Moreover, it allows you to distribute your apps for free & provides monetization as well.

First, you must log on to the AppGeyser website and click the green ‘Create Now!” button.  A list of various app templates to choose from would be displayed.  Each template has a distinct function, and a layout to facilitate that function. You can create basic applications from websites, html code, YouTube channel, documents, etc. There are 30 different layouts available. If your app requires more than one function, don’t worry, you will later be able to add these as tabs.

Next you need to add in the source, which depends on the type of app you are creating. For example, if you are converting a website to an app you need to add the URL. Similarly, if you wanna add your own page you may attach the doc; if a photo app then images & so on.  You can see the finished product simultaneously on the “Preview” pane situated on the right side of the screen. Also, fill in other basic details like app name, version, icon, category, app background etc. Once done, click ‘Create App’.

Next, fill in your  details & create an account on AppsGeyser which would redirect you to your dashboard. Here, you can tweak your app further by clicking ‘Edit’ on the menu above. You may tune up your advanced settings such as App Permissions, Thumbnails, Loading Screen and a host of other settings.

If you want to add more content to your app, go to “Tabs’ section, click on “Add Tab” & select ‘more options’ to see the complete list of features to choose from. You can add a Homepage to your app, which would stack all your Tabs in a beautiful shelf-like layout.

Download the APK file and check it for yourself. Once you are satisfied with you application you may wanna share it with the world or use it yourself. You can share the download link for anyone to download the appe. You may also wanna browse the ‘Distribute’ section for further sharing options.

AppsGeyser also lets you earn through your apps. If your app gets downloaded 100 times (No ads will be displayed otherwise), Click on ‘Monetization’ from top menu and opt in for a Revenue Program. Half of the profits will be shared by you (50-50)!

Thats it! This whole procedure should take you less than 5 minutes & without any technical knowledge you successfully created an app, on your own! So go ahead & create apps – show off, flaunt, share, learn & earn!  

Sidhant Malhotra
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Top Societies at Delhi University Fests: S.G.T.B. Khalsa for Folk Dance

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Every year, societies from colleges across the campus compete neck to neck and put up spectacular performances during the fest season. This year too, saw certain teams shine a little brighter than the rest. We bring you a series with college societies that put their heart and soul into their respective fields and took home the top prizes at various cultural fests. The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions at competitive events held during 13 cultural fests of this season. Whenever a society won the first prize they were award 3 points, for the second position they received 2 points and for the third position, 1 point was added to their tally. In the folk dance category, S.G.T.B. Khalsa’s Bhangra Inspire emerges victorious with 14 points. Gargi College’s Nazakat follows next with 11 points.

The Winning Society at a glance

Bhangra Inspire, S.G.T.B. Khalsa

Bhangra Inspire, from S.G.T.B. Khalsa, lit the stage on fire during fests like Montage and Tempest with their Bhangra performance. “Our losses from last year helped us strive for more this year. We practiced hard, and although 2 of our team members met with an accident and got injured, we never looked back and emerged as the winners in most of the competitions we took part in”, said the team. Names of performing team members: Gurdeep Singh Babbar (President), Prateek Kathuria, Karan Sardana, Jagjeet Singh, Harsimran Singh, Gurinder Singh, Harpreet Singh, Harpal Singh, Chamandeep Singh, Kanwalpreet Singh. Note: The thirteen fests included in our analysis for this series include SRCC’s Crossroads, Gargi College’s Reverie, Sri Venkateswara College’s Nexus, LSR’s Tarang, Hans Raj’s Confluence, I.P. College for Women’s Shruti, Daulat Ram College’s Manjari, Hindu College’s Mecca, Jesus and Mary College’s Montage, Miranda House’s Tempest, Kamala Nehru College’s Ullas, Kirori Mal College’s Renaissance, SGTB Khalsa’s Lashkara. Out of the fests listed, only 7 had conducted a competitive Folk Dance Competition.]]>

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Humouroscope

Humouroscope: 30th March – 6th April, 2014

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Aries: Everyone in the theatre heard you whimper a curse at the Indian censorship board just at that exact moment when Eva Green and Sullivan Staplton were starting to get err…acquainted. Have you never hear of Blu-Ray, child?

Taurus: There is no need to worry about whether you will be able to complete all your assignments in time. I mean, the only rational reason for worrying is when you actually think you have even a slim shot at success, right? So don’t worry.

Gemini: The paper you are holding in your hand right now is our latest work on Nano technology. It can cook your meals, clean your rooms and most importantly do your homework. The only problem is that we ran out of budget just before we could add an ‘ON’ switch.

Cancer: Accepting your parents’ friend request in face book seems like a pretty good thing to do. At least it can help you break that single digit barrier in your friend’s list that has been bothering you for the past 7 years.

Leo: In an alternate universe you are a popular trend-setter with a charming personality. In case you experience a severe inflation of your nostrils and burning of the cheeks, for no apparent reason, please, reread the phrase – ‘alternate universe’.

Virgo: The planets are perfectly aligned to give your brain cells the creative boost they need. You will finally be able to think of an excuse to explain your late arrival in class other than the overused ‘I was stuck in traffic’ routine.

Libra: The letter you wrote, confessing your feelings for her, is really touching. Unfortunately you left it in between the pages of the assignment you just submitted. Keep a good excuse ready just in case the professor gets the wrong meaning out of it.

Scorpio: Today is bring-your-pet-tarantula-to-college-day. NO, I am not talking about your girlfriend. Sure she makes our skin crawl but dude not everything is about her you know.

Sagittarius: Go high profile this week. Throw on some jazzy clothes, some funky moves and sleazy pick up lines. You might just become the most popular troll in town.

Capricorn: It is better than you remain indoors at all times. It is highly probable that you will ruin the day for anyone who comes in immediate contact with you.

Aquarius: Beware! Your girlfriend will drag you to watch a full ‘Vampire Diaries’ re-run. Wearing a necklace made of garlic will not help.

Pisces: You know I had a pretty funny joke in store for you guys but it slipped my mind by the time I got here. Maybe I should start tattooing them on my body next time or better you should really try to be born under another constellation sign.

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Spo(r)tlight

Twenty20 Cricket World Cup kicks off in Bangladesh!

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The 5th edition of the fast-paced and exhilarating ICC Twenty20 World Cup kicked off in Bangladesh on the 16th of March with the inaugural match between the host country and the young cricketing country of Afghanistan. This is the first time that the World Cup consists of 16 nations competing for the ultimate prize in Twenty20 cricket. This move was scheduled to take place in the last World Cup held in West Indies; however, the decision was reverted back to 12 teams.

The reformatting of the tournament has raised questions from people of how the structure of the tournament is going to look like. The tournament this year consists of all the 10 full-member of the ICC International teams. The 6 remaining teams have qualified from the ICC World Twenty20 Cup qualifiers held in October 2013. These teams include Afghanistan, Nepal, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands and United Arab Emirates (UAE). These teams were first divided into two groups of four – Bangladesh and Zimbabwe included. Two teams qualified from these two respective groups to the round of Super 10. These teams were Bangladesh and Netherlands. The Super 10 round consists of two groups of five team each. Group A consisted of Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, England and Netherlands. Group B consisted of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia and West Indies. Two teams that qualify from each group will play the semi-finals and ultimately, the finals.

The tournament up till now has had some cracking matches. At the top of the list of cracking matches shall always be the nail-biting rivalry of India and Pakistan. The match this time as well, did not seize to disappoint with India winning by 7 wickets in 18.3 overs. The fairly new team of Hong Kong also registered a surprising victory over Bangladesh with 2 wickets remaining however in vain, as it was too late to stop Bangladesh from entering the Super 10 round. The tournament also saw the lowest total ever scored in a Twenty20 world Cup with Netherlands scoring only 39 runs against the veterans, Sri Lanka.

The finals of the Men’s World cup take place on April 6th at Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

With the international media covering only the Men’s World Cup, a lot of people do not know that the Women’s World Cup is also being held in Bangladesh. Only 10 teams are a part of the tournament with the defending Champions, Australia as the favourites. The Aussie women look to complete their hat trick of titles by winning this tournament.

The finals for the Women’s tournament also take place on the same day and at the same venue as the Men’s Final but with a time difference as the Women’s match takes place earlier.

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Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College

Rock Veda performs at Kalrav’14 – the Annual Cultural Festival of DDUC

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The annual cultural festival of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College (DDUC), Kalrav took place on the 27th and 28th of March after getting postponed frequently. The festival was scheduled to take place in February but got cancelled due to internal issues.

The event was exclusively for the students of DDUC. The college held its Annual Prize Distribution Ceremony for the year 2013-14 on the same day. Mr. S.P. Dixit, IAS Officer and Mr. Ravi Chaturvedi, an eminent cricket commentator were the chief guests for the event.

An exhibition of photographs clicked by the members of the DDUC photography society was put up. A very distinct event, Mera Gaon, Mera Ghar, Mera Bachpan was also held. Different departments of the college showcased memories and artifacts from their childhood. This event was especially designed for outstation students to portray the traditions and culture of their home state. The fest also saw a Grafitti contest whose theme was “The Blissful Life”. Students of B.Com (Hons) won the top spot. This was followed by a concert- Satvik Heights by Ankit Batra , an internationally acclaimed singer, an enthralling performance by the Delhi Drummers and also by the band, Solfege.
The second day began with Satvik chants recited by the Music society. Inter department contest was held for traditional games like pithoo, stapoo, rassi kood and lattoo; most of which was won by the Department of Zoology.

Exult-the dance society and Rhythm-the music society mesmerized the crowd with their performances. Yavanika- the theatre society’s performance was appreciated by all. “Their spirit was superb”, said Aashima Sharma, a volunteer at Kalrav. This was followed by the performance from Rock Veda, a fusion band that has also featured on MTV’s Coke Studio. The fest came to an end with the lighting of the sky lanterns by the college students.

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College of Vocational Studies

Street play competition and Hardy Sandhu attract crowds at CVS’ Reverie

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The two-day cultural festival of College of Vocational Studies (CVS) concluded amidst drizzles on the evening of 28th March with Hardy Sandhu performing on a makeshift platform as showers restricted the use of electrical equipment on the main stage.

The first day of the festival began with an English debate event. Teams debated the topic, ‘The result of the coming elections rests in the hands of the youth’. Arvind and Anuj won the 1st and the 2nd position respectively. Karil was awarded the Best Interjector prize. All winning participants were from the host team. The debate was followed by rangoli and poster-making competitions held in classrooms.

After a short delay, The Thespian, the street-play and most awaited event of the day, commenced at 1:00 pm. It was organised by Dramanomics – the Dramatics society of CVS. The event saw participation of 7 colleges with each college putting on display a social issue of the country. Shivaji College with their play Bas Samajhne ki Baat hai depicted the ill-treatment and abandonment of the old in our society, was adjudged the best play of the evening. Gargi College’s Joota and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce’s Chidiya ki Kahaani were the 2nd and 3rd prize winners respectively.

Samiksha (Best Model)

Manthan, the fashion society of CVS organised a fashion competition which was won by the team from Maitreyi College. The award for best costume went to Tarini Singh and best model went to Samiksha Jain, both from Lady Irwin College, whose team was adorning the Cleopatra look.

The second day of the fest began with a Hindi debate on the topic, ‘Bharat se bhrashtachar hatana asambhav hain’. Soon after the debate, the main stage was taken over by rock bands for the Battle of Bands, which was won by Kazaryth.

The weather had become overcast as the musicians of CVS played and growled to the tunes of Metallica and AC/DC, entertaining the crowd that was waiting for Hardy Sandhu’s performance, but as the evening progressed, it started raining and Hardy’s performance was delayed. Finally, the rain subsided and Hardy performed on a makeshift platform near the Student’s Desk instead of the main stage as it was wet and could not accommodate electrical equipment.

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News

Delhi University collaborates with DUWA for health center for girls

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Delhi University Women’s Association (DUWA) launched its Mind Body Centre on 13th February, 2014. Inaugurated by Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh, this new service of comprises of medication and treatment of physical and psychological health of female students. The center started functioning on 1st March, 2014.

The female students and staff of Delhi University can get themselves registered for Rs. 50 at the DUWA office, located on Chattra Marg opposite Miranda House College’s hostel. This registration will enable them to get free physical and psychological counseling for a year, starting the date of registration.

The Mind Body Center has Dr. Payal for the homeopathic treatment, consulting problems including hair fall, dandruff, acne and menstruation. For psychological problems like stress, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, the center has psychologist Bhawna Chauhan. The center is open Monday to Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

As per Mrs. Sunita Arora, EC member of DUWA, the move is another step in welfare of the women in Delhi University and is fully focused on providing better facilities for the girl students.

According to Bhawna Chauhan, most of the students who come for the counseling are undergoing an emotional turmoil due to reasons varying from relationships, family problems as well as peer pressure. She has spoken to various students, who are immigrants from various small towns, facing depression because of change in the culture and atmosphere.

Earlier the registration fee was decided to be Rs. 100, which was later brought down to half to make it even more student-friendly. The identities of the students as well as staff members will remain undisclosed considering the fact that sometimes the students hesitate to come up with problems specially related to psychology.

“Students should take advantage of this program. We have well experienced psychologists and homeopathic doctors for the female students and staff. We are trying to make this program popular and thus helping the girl students through their problems” said Dr. Karabi Mazumdar, the secretary of DUWA.

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